Abstract:
Based on the Carta aos Senhores Eleitores da Província de Minas Gerais, henceforth referred to as the Letter to the Gentlemen Voters of Minas Gerais Province, written in 1828 by Bernardo Vasconcelos, we present our understanding of the illustrated thinking in Brazil, from the Inconfidência Mineira (a conspiratory, separatist movement that took place in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) (1789) to the First Reign (1822-1840), and its implications for education. In this documental source, whose analysis relies on the theoretical framework of the history of concepts and their uses, by Reinhart Koselleck, we perceive the influences of the European Enlightenment on the repertoire of our political elite. We consider, in part, that the conspiratory project was carried on in Vasconcelos’s discourse and actions, showing that the school designed in the Empire also meant a conservative centralization.
Keywords:
Imperial Brazil; liberal education; civilization and education; discourse analysis